A depiction of Hamid Karzai by Thierry Ehrmann. Sourced from Flickr, labelled for reuse.

When national unity is at stake, Afghans can be a forgiving bunch. Having criticized and regretted ex-President Hamid Karzai and his inner circle for the last thirteen years, many citizens had misty eyes as he formally left the domestic political scene.

Karzai — whose rule was famous for sky high corruption and political intrigue — stepped down as head of the Afghan government September 29 and handed his mandate over to President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, marking the first democratic transition of power in Afghanistan since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001. President Ghani was sworn in as the new president of Afghanistan with his rival Abdullah Abdullah ascending to the newly created role of Chief Executive.

Karzai addressing diplomats during his last days in office. Image taken from ARG official Facebook page (9/27/2014)

While the beginning of a new presidency after a bitter electoral contest between Ghani and Abdullah is a moment of extreme relief for society at large, feelings about Karzai's departure from the presidential palace were inevitably mixed. As Helena Malikyar, an Afghan historian noted, it was a “bitter-sweet day for most Afghans.”

Undoubtedly, Hamid Karzai will be missed by many. He was crafty and charismatic, blunt in his approach towards his western allies, and strangely suited to the art of governing a country in chaos.

Despite his mistakes, he will be remembered and respected. Hashmat Ghani, President Ghani's brother, tweeted:

We criticized Mr. Karzai and fought with him every step of the way over national issues but now as a friend he will have nothing but respect

Typically, Karzai managed to make Ghani's big moment all about him. Arif Ammar observed that people were more interested in Karzai leaving the Arg (palace and house of government) than Ghani entering it.

Eyes are more stared on leaving of Prez. #Karzai from Arg rather than entering the new president-elect!

While Karzai's policies were the target of criticism both at home and abroad, his supporters such as Masood Shneezai believe that his thirteen years in charge have cemented his place in Afghan history forever.

People talk about President #Karzai‘s legacy these days. Let me tell you he doesn't have a legacy – he has legacies, he is a legend. #AFG

Yet as Karzai departs the Arg, he has left Ghani and his unformed government many challenges to resolve: a stunted economy, poor security, an irascible Taliban and the unsigned Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States, to name a few.

In his first address to the nation, Ghani asked the Afghan people to hold him accountable when he makes mistakes. He also emphasized:

politics will no longer be an instrument of instability, but of improvement.

That might be difficult for many Afghans to believe at the moment, but after months of tension following a disputed vote, democracy seems to be back on the agenda in the country. As for Karzai, few expect him to quietly and happily fade into history.

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